Prepare yourself to proclaim the Lord’s death.

 

Sermon for Trinity 14, September 6, 2026

The God of love and peace will be with you.  Amen.

1 Corinthians 11:23-32  ²³For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night when he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.”  ²⁵In the same way, after the meal, he also took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new testament in my blood.  Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”  ²⁶For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.  ²⁷Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the Lord’s body and blood.  ²⁸Instead, let a person examine himself and after doing so, let him eat of the bread and drink from the cup.  ²⁹For if anyone eats and drinks in an unworthy way because he does not recognize the Lord’s body, he eats and drinks judgment on himself.  ³⁰Because of this, many among you are weak and sick, and quite a few have fallen asleep.  ³¹But if we judged ourselves, we would not be undergoing judgment.  ³²However, when we undergo judgment, we are being disciplined by the Lord so that we may not be condemned with the world. (EHV)

Prepare yourself to proclaim the Lord’s death.

Dear fellow redeemed,

            What do you do to prepare yourself for a feast?  Imagine you are a college student away from home, and the food at the cafeteria is good, but it’s definitely not home cooking, and now your heading home for Thanksgiving dinner at Grandma’s house.  Can you just imagine all the delightful things that are on the menu when you get there?  Do you remember your favorite pie, or how delicious the whole house will smell as you walk through the door?  Given those memories and the joy of being together with family after your time away, what do you do to prepare?

Now, the question isn’t what is your grandmother, mother, or other host doing to prepare, but what should you be doing?  Will you fast that day until the big meal?  Will you get all cleaned up and dressed in your best for the reunion?  Are you trying to decide what to eat first?  Do you worry whether you will be welcome with everyone else there?  I suppose this  illustration will limp more than a little, but as we prepare for the feast of a lifetime, Prepare yourself to proclaim the Lord’s death.

On our menu this morning is the Lord’s Supper, and generations have wondered how best they should prepare to partake of this holy meal.  Sometimes, portions of the Church have insisted that you should fast before eating and drinking the bread and wine.  Most of us would say it is highly recommended that we clean our consciences with repentance before partaking of Jesus’ body and blood in this meal.  Therefore, let’s take some time this morning to see what makes this meal so special, and then what Paul means when telling the people to eat and drink in a worthy manner.

The first thing that is made clear through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is that to pretend that this Supper is anything but both bread and wine and body and blood is to make the Triune God a liar.  Jesus’ words could not be clearer.  When He says “This is,” we simply have to take it to mean it really is.  Furthermore, another statement from our God couldn’t be any clearer: “If anyone eats and drinks in an unworthy way because he does not recognize the Lord’s body, he eats and drinks judgment on himself.”  This is one of the big reasons why we practice closed communion.  We don’t want anyone who might be unsure whether Jesus’ body and blood really is consumed in, with, and under the bread and wine to fall into judgment.

Here, God’s prophecy through Isaiah stands out.  The Lord declared, “On this mountain the Lord of Armies will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich food, a banquet of aged wines, with the best cuts of meat, and with the finest wines.  On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that covers all peoples, the burial cloth stretched over all nations.  He has swallowed up death forever!” (Isaiah 25:6-8)  If you think Thanksgiving dinner at Grandma’s house was something really special, let me tell you, it can’t hold a candle to what Jesus has prepared for us.  In this prophecy, the Lord uses the picture of a royal banquet to teach us the treasure that is served to us in His Supper.

But, what does that mean?  In this type of comparative prophecy, the Lord isn’t speaking about material food that you could pick up at the grocery store.  The food and wine stand in for what is really prepared by the Lord of Armies, and that is righteousness, forgiveness, salvation, and peace.  This is what Jesus offers us in His holy Supper.  Remember what Jesus said when He instituted this banquet feast; “He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it all of you, for this is my blood of the new testament, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:27-28)  Thus, what are we receiving in the Lord’s Supper?  We receive bread and wine, but along with those earthly elements, we receive by sacramental miracle, Jesus’ true body and blood, the glorified elements of the body and blood He sacrificed to satisfy the demands of the law.

What this all means is that each time we come to the Lord’s table, He serves the holy meal He has prepared with all the love of God poured into each morsel.  In these fine foods, yes we receive bread and wine, but we also receive forgiveness of all sins, the body and blood of life, peace with God, and the promise of an eternal home in heaven.  Though to our mortal tongues, this food might taste ordinary or even rather bland, it is but a foretaste of the wedding banquet of the Son of God through which we who believe in Him will be united with God in joy and peace and everlasting harmony in which no one will ever again suffer sorrow, pain, illness, death, nor sin.

Now that we have established that the Lord’s Supper is truly a banquet made in heaven for those who believe in the Son, how are we to prepare for the meal.  By that, I am not concerned with who bakes the bread, or who sets up the communion trays.  Neither do we need to insist on a certain brand of wine, because the real food is Jesus and the forgiveness He won for us on the cross.

So, how should we prepare ourselves?  Paul wrote, “Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the Lord’s body and blood.  Instead, let a person examine himself and after doing so, let him eat of the bread and drink from the cup.”  How are we to examine ourselves to see whether we are worthily prepared?  Martin Luther outlined worthy advice in the catechism.  “Before coming to the Lord’s Table we should examine ourselves to see:

Whether we truly repent of our sins,

Whether we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior,

Whether we believe that He gives us His true body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins, and Whether we have the sincere desire, with the aid of God the Holy Spirit, to amend our sinful lives.”

Imagine attending Thanksgiving dinner at your parents’ or grandparents’ home yet demanding that they prove they really are who they say they are.  Imagine insisting that the good food they have prepared for you isn’t fit for you to eat.  Imagine throwing that beautiful, delicious food against the wall in a rage.  That is about how a person is acting who denies what Jesus says about this meal.  No wonder Paul says eating or drinking unworthily brings judgment on the person.

Still, what if I am loaded down with sin, guilt, and shame, dare I come to partake of this holy meal?  If it is your intent to boldly continue in those sins without repentance then, of course, no, don’t waste your time.  However, if you are coming to communion sorrowing for those sins and repenting before your God, and pleading for His mercy, grace, and help in correcting the sinful ways, then by all means, this is exactly where you want to be, because Jesus prepared this feast to show you that He really, truly, loved you all the way to the cross, to death, to hell, and to victory over the devil, sin, and death.

Paul wrote, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”  This Supper is often called the Eucharist, which is a fancy way of saying it is a meal of thanks.  By trusting Jesus’ words and believing that His true body and blood is provided in, with, and under the bread and wine, and that along with this holy meal, we also receive forgiveness of all sin, life, and eternal salvation, we are giving thanks to the Savior who loved us with an unending love.  And by our active trust in His Word and partaking of His body and blood, we are telling the world around us of the great love and mercy God has shown us through His beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

Dear friends, though the world around us may mock and deride Jesus’ words as pure fantasy, you and I have a Savior who would never deceive us, nor would He ever let us down.  By offering His holy body and blood as the sacrifice of the Lamb of God in our place, Jesus has won for us the forgiveness of all our sins and peace with His Father in heaven.  The gates to that heaven are open to all who believe in Jesus, and in the Sacrament of the altar, we receive a foretaste of the heavenly banquet that Jesus has prepared to feed and care for us for all eternity.  Partake of that holy meal with full confidence in Jesus’ love and in the sacrifice He made so that you are counted as holy and pure in God’s eyes.  Coming before the Lord with trust in His Word, you Prepare yourself to proclaim the Lord’s death.  Amen.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his own blood and made us a kingdom and priests to God his Father—to him be the glory and the power forever.  Amen.

Believe and you will see the glory of God.

 

O Lord, we are gathered in sorrow, yet not as those who have no hope.  We thank You for all the blessings bestowed on our brother, now fallen asleep and for all the blessings given through him.  But most of all, we thank You for making him Your dear child by faith in Jesus Christ.  Give us to have that same trust in Jesus always.  We ask this all in Christ’s holy name.  Amen.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

For our words of comfort, we read of Jesus’ love in the Gospel of John 11:28-44

          After she said this, Martha went back to call her sister Mary.  She whispered, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.”  ²⁹When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him.  ³⁰Now Jesus had not yet gone into the village, but was still where Martha met him.  ³¹The Jews who were with Mary in the house consoling her saw that she got up quickly and left.  So they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to weep there.  ³²When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”  ³³When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and troubled.  ³⁴He asked, “Where have you laid him?”  They told him, “Lord, come and see.”  ³⁵Jesus wept.  ³⁶Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”  ³⁷But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”  ³⁸Jesus was deeply moved again as he came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.  ³⁹“Take away the stone,” he said.  Martha, the dead man’s sister, told him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, because it has been four days.”  ⁴⁰Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”  ⁴¹So they took away the stone.  Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you heard me.  ⁴²I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.”  ⁴³After he said this, he shouted with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”  ⁴⁴The man who had died came out with his feet and his hands bound with strips of linen and his face wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus told them, “Loose him and let him go.” (EHV)

Believe and you will see the glory of God.

Dear friends of Jim Munson, and especially you, his family: Sandra, Jeremy, Josh and Jill, Jason and Kristina, Sadie and Joe, Mother Phyllis, grandchildren and spouses, great-grandchildren, and all the rest of your family,

The wisest man who ever lived tells us that there is a time to live and a time to die, a time to weep and a time to rejoice.  The odd thing is that all four of these things come together in a funeral.  For those of us still living, who have known Jim and will miss him, for those of you who were so intimately connected with him, this moment feels exceedingly painful.  At the same time, through our tears but knowing that Jim believed in Jesus as his Savior, we are just as exceedingly joyful that Jesus has now welcomed Jim into the glory of eternal life in heaven.

It is thought that King Solomon wrote the words of Ecclesiastes toward the end of his life as he came to realize that no matter how fabulous or how horrible things seemed in this life, whether rich or poor, powerful or oppressed, life does come to an end and we have no ability to change that.  In much of the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon, who had lived in luxury beyond imagination and with great power in his position, sounds a little depressed.  The truth is, however, that Solomon came to realize that there is something so much greater than anything life in this broken world could offer.

Now, in our text from John’s gospel, we are presented with the account of the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  Here, we see the full gamut of life.  A brother loved by his sisters, surrounded by a host of consoling friends, and a Lord who is far more powerful than they at the time realized.  And though we meet a host of the living and grieving, we meet death, and we are reminded that death is the way of the world.  Because sin entered our world, we all are subject to death and to its terror.

We see both Mary and Martha react in the same way when Jesus came to their mourning; they accused Jesus of failing them.  Both said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”  Perhaps, more than a few of us have felt the same way; if God had intervened, we wouldn’t be here this morning.  The reality, though, is that Jesus stayed away when the sisters first sent messengers to Him asking for Jesus to come and heal Lazarus.  Jesus stayed away because His Father had a greater purpose for Lazarus’s death.  Jesus stayed away until Lazarus was dead so that the disciples and the world could see that Jesus has power over death.  That would be shown most clearly when Jesus rose from the grave after His own death on the cross, but here we see that Jesus has the power to raise us, too, and to fulfil what He told Martha, Believe and you will see the glory of God.

Solomon tells us that there is a time and place for everything under the sun.  Mary and Martha thought Jesus should have taken the time to come and heal their brother.  It is common for us to pray that God intervene to heal our loved ones, and believe me, many have been praying for Jim to be healed.  However, everything must happen according to God’s time and decision for indeed God is both the Giver of life, and the God who calls us out of this life.

Now, that doesn’t mean we can know why God didn’t intervene in Jim’s illness and give us what we would call a positive answer to our prayers.  I can only tell you the reason for Lazarus’s death because the Bible gives us that information.  At the same time, I can promise you that God truly did answer our prayers by taking Jim out of this world of sorrow and pain so that, fully restored in body and soul, he may dwell in the glory and peace of heaven.  Through the prophet, Isaiah, God declares, “The righteous one perishes, but no one takes it to heart.  Men of mercy are being taken away, but no one understands that the righteous one is being spared from evil.  He will enter into peace.  They will rest on their beds.  He is walking in his uprightness.” (Isaiah 57:1-2)

This is the Christian faith and the trust the Holy Spirit had worked in Jim through baptism and the hearing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The Bible tells us that we are all sinners who need a Savior.  Our experience in life tells us the same thing.  Every death is a demonstration that evil entered our world and brought us under the condemnation of the law and the bands of death.

Now some, in the midst of this pain, might surmise that God doesn’t care about us.  That simply isn’t true.  In fact, the Bible says, “Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His saints.” (Psalm 116:15)  We see that in our text in the reaction Jesus had to Lazarus’s death and the pain it caused His friends.  “When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and troubled.”  Death troubled Jesus, and in fact, stirred up some anger in His belly.  Jesus hated death and the trouble and sorrow it causes us, just as He hated sin and the devil’s accusations that so torment us.  Thus, “Jesus wept.”  He wept for the grief of the mourners.  Jesus wept because He felt the pain of their loss.  He wept because He loves us.  Therefore, Believe and you will see the glory of God.

In Jesus’ emotions that day, we also see how urgently Jesus desired to fulfill the main purpose of the Bible which is to show us our Savior—A Redeemer sent by God to rescue us from the chains of the deceiver who led mankind astray in the beginning and accuses God of being our enemy.  You see, as Solomon said, there is a time for everything under the sun, and at the appropriate time according to God’s plan, God sent His Son into the world to live perfect holiness on our behalf, but then also, to take upon His completely innocent and perfect self, the guilt and shame and condemnation for all of our sins, for Jim’s sins, and for the sins of the world.  Bearing all the guilt of the human race, Jesus made Himself the ultimate sacrifice that would set us free from the curse of sin and the devil’s control.  Therefore, because our just condemnation has been accomplished in Jesus’ death, God now counts everyone who believes in Jesus as righteous.

Because Jesus died on a cross to pay for Jim’s sins, and because Jesus rose triumphantly from the grave victorious over the devil and death, we can now have full confidence that because Jim believed in Jesus as his Savior, he now sees the glory of God.  Never again will Jim suffer pain, or sorrow, or illness.  Never again will sin trouble him.  And likewise, because almost no one leaves this troubled world without going through death, not even Jesus, there will come a day, when you and I who also believe in Jesus will be taken out of this cruel world and when we see Jim in heaven, it will be to him as though not a moment has passed. 

The people in our gospel account, including Lazarus, eventually had to face death.  Though Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead that day, it wasn’t the end of his story on earth.  Though the Bible doesn’t tell us the story of the rest of their earthly lives, or how they died, it does proclaim the future story for each believer in Jesus.  Jesus declared, “The Father loves the Son and has put everything in his hands.  The one who believes in the Son has eternal life.” (John 3:35-36)  Jesus also promised His followers, “I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you. … Because I live, you also will live.” (John 14:18-19)

God’s Word also confirms for us that physical death is not the end, for we too will be raised from the dead for life everlasting.  Just as Jesus commanded, “Lazarus, come out!”  And, the man who had died came out.”  Likewise, the Holy Spirit tells us through the writing of St. Paul, that on the last day, “The Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them, to meet the Lord in the air.  And so we will always be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)  In that moment on Judgment Day, all those who died in Jesus will be raised from the dead, fully restored and glorified, and the bands of death will be removed forever.

My friends, today we mourn the passing of a loved one and friend.  Today, our eyes may be wet with tears, but the day is coming when, just as Jim is now enjoying the peace of heaven, so we too will experience personally the salvation of our Lord Jesus forever.  At that time which only God knows, we will experience what Jim now sees, just as John excitedly reported in his Revelation, “Look!  God’s dwelling is with people.  He will dwell with them, and they will be his people.  God himself will be with them, and he will be their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain, because the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4)

Toward the end of his life, the apostle, John, was given a vision of our place in glory.  He reported,

After these things I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing in front of the throne and of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and with palm branches in their hands.  They called out with a loud voice and said: “Salvation comes from our God, who sits on the throne, and from the Lamb.”  All the angels stood around the throne, the elders, and the four living creatures.  They fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, saying: “Amen.  Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and might belong to our God forever and ever.  Amen.” (Revelation 7:9-12)

In light of all the promises we are given by God, who gave His Son into death and resurrection so that we might live, we confidently say, Believe and you will see the glory of God.  Amen.

The peace of God, established and won for you and for all by the sacrifice of God’s own precious Son, be with you always to the very end of the age.  Amen.

Christ’s blood cleanses our consciences.

 

Sermon for Trinity 13, August 30, 2026

Now may the God of hope fill you with complete joy and peace as you continue to believe, so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.  

Hebrews 9:6-14  ⁶After these things had been furnished in this way, the priests would always enter the first room of the tent to perform their ministries.  ⁷But only the high priest would enter the second section of the tent, once each year, and not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people committed in ignorance.  ⁸By this the Holy Spirit indicates that, while the first room of the tent existed, a way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed.  ⁹This tent is a picture pointing to the present time.  Since it is only a picture, the gifts and sacrifices that are brought there are not able to clear the conscience of the worshipper.  ¹⁰They are only bodily regulations about foods, drinks, and various washings, which were in force until the time of the new order.  ¹¹But when Christ appeared as the high priest of the good things that were coming, he went through the greater and more complete tent, which was not made by human hands (that is, it is not part of this creation).  ¹²He entered once into the Most Holy Place and obtained eternal redemption, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood.  ¹³Now if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkled on those who were unclean, sanctifies them so that their flesh is clean, ¹⁴how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works, so that we worship the living God? (EHV)

Christ’s blood cleanses our consciences.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

            Do you ever wonder how many lambs, goats, calves and other animals were slaughtered at the tabernacle and temple over the fourteen hundred years of Israel’s worship before Jesus was nailed to the cross?  With sacrifices happening daily, and extraordinary numbers on special occasions, not to mention those special sacrifices for every male child born in Israel, the amount of animal blood shed throughout the years would have to be measured in Olympic swimming pool volumes rather than in gallons or liters.  It simply boggles my mind to think about all that blood flowing from slaughtered animals and huge amounts also being sprinkled on the people as well.  Our modern minds would likely be horrified at the scene.

Yet, even though those vast numbers of animals had given their lives (involuntarily, of course), none of those sacrifices actually cleansed anyone’s conscience.  How horrible that would all be except for one thing: they all pointed God’s people toward the one sacrifice that actually would make a difference in their eternal lives.  As the writer pointed out, “They are only bodily regulations about foods, drinks, and various washings, which were in force until the time of the new order.”

Of course, the modern reader might still shudder at the thought.  Some might protest, how could God require such a graphic display merely to teach the people what was to come?  Still, for both the Old Testament Israelites, and us also as well, now in the time of the new order, those sacrifices show us how dear the cost God paid so that Christ’s blood cleanses our consciences.

You see, so that you and I, and anyone else too, might enter God’s heaven, a sacrifice of supreme worth had to be made.  God had no need for those animal sacrifices.  Indeed, He had spoken through His prophet, “What do your many sacrifices mean to me?” says the Lord.  “I have more than enough rams as burnt offerings and enough fat from well-fed animals.” (Isaiah 1:11)  And through the psalmist He says, “I do not need to take a bull from your barn or goats from your pens, because every animal in the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand mountains.  I know every bird in the mountains, and everything that moves in the field is with me.  If I were hungry, I would not tell you, because the world is mine, and all that fills it.” (Psalm 50:9-12) 

Thus, God didn’t require all those sacrifices for His own benefit, but rather, so that the people would see the graphic cost of their sin.  But, the redemption price still had to be paid, for justice demands that the law be carried out.  “The wages of sin is death”—a decree that goes all the way back to the creation.  After Adam sinned, his every descendant was born in sin and lived in it, and every sinner would die.  To ensure that eternal death isn’t the only outcome, God sent Jesus to be the second Adam, who without any sin of His own, would die and suffer the pains of hell so that you and I could be set free from the curse. 

Sin had separated mankind from God.  The reality of our separation from God was visually displayed to all in the temple.  Before Jesus entered our world and gave His life on the cross, there was a curtain in the temple that barred the people from entering the most holy place.  Therefore, so that we who were sinners could enjoy peace with God, a Redeemer interceded on our behalf.  That Redeemer is Jesus.

Though the priests assigned as go-betweens for the people would offer sacrifices, prayers, and thanksgivings to the Lord in the courtyard and the holy place of the temple, “only the high priest would enter the second section of the tent, once each year, and not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people committed in ignorance.  By this the Holy Spirit indicates that, while the first room of the tent existed, a way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed.”  The reality for people like you and me who often sin without even trying is that the curtain in the temple was a proclamation that we could never enter God’s presence in peace.

However, at the moment of Jesus’ death, that curtain that separated us from God’s presence was torn from top to bottom, signifying that our separation from God has been eliminated by the Son who came down from heaven.  The blood Jesus shed was enough.  The price had been paid in full so that not one more sacrifice would ever be required for the sins of mankind.  “When Christ appeared as the high priest of the good things that were coming, he went through the greater and more complete tent, which was not made by human hands (that is, it is not part of this creation).  He entered once into the Most Holy Place and obtained eternal redemption, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood.”  By His sacrifice and suffering and the shedding of His holy precious blood, Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of all the sacrifices of those previous fourteen hundred years.  By His suffering and death, Jesus had paid the full price of our reconciliation with God, and His resurrection from the grave and ascension into heaven testify forever after that Christ’s blood cleanses our consciences.

For you and me, the meaning of all that shedding of blood has changed.  No longer are we required to kill animals and sprinkle blood to cover our sins.  Jesus covered our guilt with His holy blood.  Instead of requiring a sacrifice from us, the blood of the sacrifice Jesus made is now poured out upon and in us through the eating and drinking of His body and blood in the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper.  This eating and drinking in not a command given to us that must be carried out so that we show God our faithfulness.  Rather, it is Jesus declaring His faithfulness to His Father, and His devotion to saving us for His Father’s house.

For this reason, the writer asks the rhetorical question, “Now if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkled on those who were unclean, sanctifies them so that their flesh is clean, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works, so that we worship the living God?”  The answer is infinitely!

What an amazing gift Jesus gives, that Christ’s blood cleanses our consciences.  The guilt and shame that so burdened our souls has been lifted.  The consciences troubled by sin are freed from the devil’s chains.  Again and again, Jesus comes to us in the bread and wine to show us the vivid reality that He died to make us counted as holy citizens of His heaven.  The ancient sacrifices of sheep and goats removed the outward appearance of sin, but only Jesus’ blood could truly cover the guilt of the world.  And that, dear friends, means that Christ’s blood cleanses our consciences.  You and I have been set free from the devil’s accusations and from our own troubled feelings and fears.

For the sake of the suffering and death of His Son, Jesus, the Father in heaven now counts those who believe in His Son as though they had never sinned at all.  On the mountain of transfiguration, the Father’s “voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is my Son, whom I love.  Listen to him!’” (Luke 9:35)  Consequently, when Jesus says, “The Father loves the Son and has put everything in his hands.  The one who believes in the Son has eternal life,” (John 3:35-36) we better believe Him. 

That is the message and meaning we receive in the Lord’s Supper.  Every taste of the bread and every sip of the wine is participation with the body and blood of Jesus.  It is God’s way of putting Jesus personally into each believer. 

Just as Baptism is not merely an external cleansing of the body, but rather a “washing of rebirth and the renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs in keeping with the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:5-7)  So, in this Sacramental meal we are not fed merely a representation of what Jesus has done for us.  Rather, this Supper is real food and real medicine of immortality, given to cleanse our souls of all guilt and to strengthen our faith in Jesus as our Savior, Redeemer, and Lord.  As this writer asks, “how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works, so that we worship the living God?” 

Apart from Jesus, anything we might do or hope to do to please God is worthless.  Nothing we can do or say would prove that we deserve to be with the Lord in heaven.  However, having been cleansed of all guilt by the blood of His Son, God now welcomes us who believe into His heavenly mansions and praises those works we do out of trust in Him and faith in the sacrifice of His Son.  A living faith means a living service to our Lord.  Trusting the blood of Jesus poured out for you and me means that Christ’s blood cleanses our consciences.  Amen.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore.  Amen. 

This wine, this bread, is the body and blood of Christ.

 

Sermon for Trinity 12, August 23, 2026

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.  Amen.

1 Corinthians 10:16-17  ¹⁶The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a communion of the blood of Christ?  The bread that we break, is it not a communion of the body of Christ?  ¹⁷Because there is one bread, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. (EHV)

This wine, this bread, is the body and blood of Christ.

Dear fellow redeemed,

            The morning after Moses told the Children of Israel that God would provide food for them in the wilderness, they came out of their tents, saw the heaven-sent bread, and asked, “Manna?”  Which means, “What is it?”  They had never seen such a food before.  They had never heard of flakes of bread somehow just appearing in the wilderness overnight.  Of course, this wasn’t a natural event.  Yet, God continued to provide that manna six days a week for forty years until the nation entered the promised land and didn’t need that food any longer.

Today, we examine the Lord’s Supper, the meal Jesus instituted on the night He was betrayed.  It seems a bit astonishing that after providing this food from heaven for nearly two thousand years, so many people continue to ask, “What is it?”  The answer is just as simple as the words Jesus spoke the night He was betrayed, This wine, this bread, is the body and blood of Christ.

To a congregation still fending off the ideas of their former idolatrous ways, Paul wrote, “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a communion of the blood of Christ?”  The reason the concept of the bread and wine possessing Christ’s very body and blood seems so hard to accept is that it is completely unnatural.  The true body and blood of Christ is not found anywhere else in nature, nor will His body ever be found in a tomb, so the wise men and scientists of our times will always be tempted to scoff at this teaching.

The concept of the real presence of Christ’s body and blood in the bread and wine is widely derided in our times, and it is denied even among many supposedly Christian denominations.  However, to deny this teaching sets a person at odds with Jesus.  To claim the wine only represents Jesus’ blood, indicates a rejection of Christ’s very words, and to reject God’s Word is to reject God Himself.  No one can have it both ways when Jesus is the Word of God. (John 1:14)

This portion of Paul’s letter to the Corinthian congregation comes immediately after he summarized the many ways in which the Israelites had fallen prey to idolatry after God rescued them from their slavery in Egypt.  In the same way, immediately before our sermon text, Paul says, “Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.” (1 Corinthians 10:14)  It is idolatry to deny the real presence of the body and blood of Jesus in, with, and under the bread and wine.  It is idolatry because it denies what the Lord Himself has testified.

Now, some might say, “But how can this be?”  Many boldly argue that Jesus’ body is in heaven so how can it be here on earth or wherever the Holy Supper is administered?  But the question really doesn’t need to be how can this be?  The question must always be, “What has God said in His holy Word?”  You see, we don’t have to know how.  God doesn’t have to defend Himself in these things.  He doesn’t explain to us how He made the world in six days through only His spoken Word.  He doesn’t tell us exactly how His Son could come down from heaven to earth and take on human flesh.  He doesn’t tell us how He is the One true God in three persons, but to deny any of these things is to make God a liar and our enemy.  May the Lord God through the power of His Holy Spirit in the Word keep us from such a false fate.

The reality is that God has provided us with great and lasting comfort through this gift.  Again we read, “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a communion of the blood of Christ?  The bread that we break, is it not a communion of the body of Christ?”  Through the eating and drinking of this sacramental miracle, God blesses us with a fellowship with Jesus that unites us in faith.  The perfect trust in His heavenly Father that Jesus lived and demonstrated on our behalf, is now ours through the connection He brings in this meal.  We don’t need to know the how only the what. 

Because of God’s great love for you and me, He sent His Son Jesus to be the redeeming sacrifice that reconciled the world with God.  Then, just as the sacrifices in the temple were partially consumed by the people, so we get to partake of His sacrificed Lamb as certain and sure proof that Jesus gave His life in exchange for our guilt.  While the fourteen hundred years of sacrifices in the temple could not purchase removal of guilt from the people, those sacrifices pointed forward to the one, final sacrifice of His Son that God would make on our behalf.

Therefore, whenever someone tries to argue against the real presence of Christ’s body and blood in the bread and wine, we need not try to argue them into the correct understanding.  Rather, it is to their benefit, and ours, that we simply repeat what Jesus declared the night He was betrayed when He said, “This is my body, which is given for you.” (Luke 22:19)  And, “This is my blood of the new testament, which is poured out for many.” (Mark 14:24)  Jesus’ words may well defy human logic, but just as the Israelites couldn’t explain how that manna showed up outside their tents every morning for forty years, even though it fed them life-giving food for as long as they wandered in the wilderness, so too, though we cannot explain how it can be so, the body and blood of our Lord is in the bread and wine of the Sacrament, and consumed by faith in His promise it keeps our souls fed unto life everlasting.

We receive another tremendous benefit because This wine, this bread, is the body and blood of Christ.  The same living food that unites us with Christ Jesus also unites us with each other and with all other truly believing Christians.  Again, this can lead us into some hard to understand areas.  We practice close or closed communion because the Scriptures instruct us in the proper reception of the Sacrament.  There are those who would turn the instructions around and pretend that simply eating the bread and drinking the wine together in the supper unites us.  However, we can only truly be united with Christ and with each other, if we hold to the same teachings. 

If we should pretend agreement with those who deny Jesus being truly present in the bread and wine, we are not united with Jesus but with the false teaching which leads away from our Savior.  If we should pretend that this is only an individual decision that shouldn’t deter us, we are rejecting the very Scriptures that tell us to love and care for our fellow believers, and really, for every neighbor whether in agreement in doctrine or not.

By His spoken testimony, Jesus confirmed that God wants us in His presence, not as sinners but as forgiven souls won for Him by Christ Jesus.  This morning, we again partake of the Lord’s Supper.  In this Sacrament, Jesus invites us to be His special guests at His table, in His house, in communion with our Creator forevermore.  In this communion with Jesus, we are refreshed with life and peace everlasting.

This communion brings together all the pieces of the puzzle.  If you looked around the table the night Jesus established His holy communion, it would look like a rather motley crew.  There with the Lord were fishermen, a tax collector, a zealot, one who would become known as a doubter, some timid, others more ambitious or impetuous.  What brought them together is Jesus. 

As we look at faithful Christianity, we see a wide variety of backgrounds, various skin colors, speaking a multitude of languages, men and women from all around the world brought together as one body in Christ.  In this world, we may not seem to have much in common.  We might have differing political views and social status, different opinions on how to dress, where to live, and a host of other variables.  Yet, one thing is certain, we are all sinners who needed reconciliation with God, and with His body and blood in the bread and wine of this Supper, Jesus gives us the blessed forgiveness we need and the perfect righteousness He lived on our behalf.

Dear friends, there are many in our world who would gladly mock us for accepting the teachings of the Sacrament of the Altar and the real presence of Jesus’ body and blood given to you and me there.  Some of those mockers are believers in Jesus who have been misled into mixing human reason with the divine truth of Scripture.  Others are blatant despisers of God’s Word, even if some of them willfully quote portions of it out of context to confuse the weak.  However, you and I have, by God’s grace, the simple, sure, and honest truth that gives us life and eternal healing of the soul.  For, when you partake of this holy meal given to you from Jesus’ hand, you receive His true body and blood and along with that heavenly food, you receive forgiveness of all sin, true righteousness, and life everlasting, because in, with, and under This wine, this bread, is the body and blood of Christ.  Amen.

Now may the God of hope fill you with complete joy and peace as you continue to believe, so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Stay in the Light through faith in Christ.

 

Sermon for Trinity 11, August 16, 2026

Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, in truth and love.  Amen.

1 John 1:5-2:2  ⁵This is the message we heard from him and proclaim to you: God is light.  In him there is no darkness at all.  ⁶If we say we have fellowship with him but still walk in darkness, we are lying and do not put the truth into practice.  ⁷But if we walk in the light, just as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.  ⁸If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  ⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  ¹⁰If we say we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar, and his Word is not in us.  2 My children, I write these things to you so that you will not sin.  If anyone does sin, we have an Advocate before the Father: Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.  ²He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the whole world. (EHV)

Stay in the Light through faith in Christ.

Dear fellow redeemed,

            Are you afraid of the dark?  Many people are.  The dark can be scary because we don’t see what’s out there, or worse, that there may be something unseen right nearby that threatens us.  On the other hand, what is perhaps even more common than fear of the dark is being afraid of the light.  Now, some might think that doesn’t make much sense.  However, in the context of this letter, many, many people show themselves to be afraid of the Light that is God.  Therefore, you and I, my friends, should Stay in the Light through faith in Christ.

John wrote, “This is the message we heard from him and proclaim to you: God is light.  In him there is no darkness at all.”  By rights, we should all be afraid of the darkness John mentions here, because it is everything that is opposed to God.  Yet, since the fall into sin, what do you suppose attracts us more?  To our sinful nature, the darkness seems enticing, and once fallen, darkness seems safer, because our consciences declare that our sin condemns us.  And when caught in the darkness of sin, we get everything about salvation and eternal life completely backwards.

Many years ago, I had a granary that was infested with rats.  Anytime I slid the door open and switched on the light, there was an explosion of rats scurrying every which way to find a hiding place.  They were afraid of the light and afraid of me (and perhaps my cats).  They knew that in the light, they were susceptible to death.  The same thing happens among people.  Far too many people turn against God or try to hide from Him because they fear His judgment.  If you look at the empty church pews in so many locations, you will see evidence that my statement is true.  People who feel guilty often avoid going to church, partly because they feel some inner shame, but mostly, because they fear being confronted by believers, which shows that consciences realize that their guilt is condemnable.

Likewise, because there is so much sin in our world, and thus so many sinners, there is much fear among those who reject God.  There are many who imagine that if they just don’t recognize that there is one true God, then He won’t be able to touch them.  Or perhaps, in our guilt, we can convince ourselves that we shouldn’t be judged because we are only doing what we desire to do, and we leave others alone to do what they desire to do.  Do you understand where such thoughts might lead?  John’s words here give us the answer to any who would hide from God and His judgment, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” … “If we say we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar, and his Word is not in us.”  The result of this for any sinner, and I might add for every unrepentant sinner, is only eternal condemnation—whether that truth is believed or not.

This morning, as we continue our catechism review, we focus on absolution.  This might be the part of repentance that many people miss.  We can sometimes say we are sorry for the evil we do, but without absolution—that is, without the declaration of forgiveness for Jesus’ sake and trust in His forgiveness—the result of recognized guilt will still bring only despair leading to hopelessness.

On the other hand, dear friends, the cure for the hopelessness of guilt is to Stay in the Light through faith in Christ.  Remember John’s message, “God is light.  In him there is no darkness at all.  If we say we have fellowship with him but still walk in darkness, we are lying and do not put the truth into practice.  But if we walk in the light, just as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.”  Light is purity.  Light gives sight to those blinded by darkness.  Light’s power can cut or heal. 

Thus, the Light of God is Jesus Christ who came into this world to remove the darkness from each of us and replace it with the light of His holiness, an exchange purchased for us with His blood shed on the cross.  “This saying is trustworthy and worthy of full acceptance: ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.’” (1 Timothy 1:15)  The darkness of sin covered each of us and made us afraid of the One who was appointed from everlasting to be our Judge.  It was the same for every sinner of the world, and every population of people gathered together with each other, both ancient and modern, sought a way to claw their way out of the darkness, but there was no hope to be found, until Jesus came into the world to fulfill the promise given in the beginning when mankind sinned and first hid from God.

One thing about the God who is Light is that He is always faithful to His promises and to His love for us.  Though there was no good to be found in any person on earth, God sought only faith in His love.  For that reason, He counted all of our guilt as if it belongs to Jesus, and He punished every last shred of guilt, every infraction of the law, and every shortcoming of imperfect man as though belonging to His holy, innocent, God-fearing Son.  Therefore, because the penalty for all the sin of the world was paid for in that brutal, murderous assault on Jesus at the cross, God’s justice allows only pardon for sin in us.

John says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Since Jesus has paid our debt in full, there is no price we could pay, no hoops to jump through, no mountain to climb, no works that might remove the stain of our guilt.  Only Jesus’ blood washes away the stench that kept God at arm’s length.  Yet, dear people of God, that is exactly what was fulfilled for you and me on the cross. 

John wrote this letter to plead for all the people of the world to come out of hiding and into the light of Christ Jesus.  Already while He walked this earth, Jesus made it clear that though He is given authority to judge the world, that is not why He came as a baby in Bethlehem.  Jesus declared, “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  The one who believes in him is not condemned, but the one who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.” (John 3:17-18)

To deny our guilt leaves us eternally condemned for as St. John wrote, “If we say we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar, and his Word is not in us.”  Apart from faith in Jesus, there is only darkness, condemnation, hopelessness, and fear.  Now granted, sometimes that fear may come across as boastful arrogance, but the only sure way to forgiveness and salvation is to fall before our God in company with others like the tax collector at the temple, pleading, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13)  This honest admission and plea is all that God seeks from us.  God knows that we cannot offer Him anything that is not already owed Him.  Yet, His love for us seeks nothing but faith in His Son as our Lord and Savior.

For that reason and that reason alone, St. John assured his readers, “My children, I write these things to you so that you will not sin.  If anyone does sin, we have an Advocate before the Father: Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.  He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the whole world.”  Every sin means we have turned back to the darkness in which the devil is in control.  Yet, as long as we have faith in Jesus, He is with us to pull us back into the light because it is His light that covers us and gives us the way to heavenly peace.

God made Jesus the atoning sacrifice for the world.  There is no one on earth, or ever living on earth, whose guilt was not paid for by the death of that One and Only Son of God.  At the same time, our Redeemer didn’t stay dead, for He rose from the grave just as He had promised, and He ascended to heaven for the main purpose of interceding for us with His Father.  Because of Christ’s dedication to our salvation, the devil can never again accuse us of any sin.  The sins of the world have been paid for, so there is no reason to hide from God.  There is no reason to fear His judgment, because the judgment of God for all of us has already fallen on His own beloved Son, and with that debt paid by Jesus’ blood, God now calls us forgiven and welcomes all who believe in His Son as His own holy, dearly loved children.

Therefore dear friends, having heard the Word of your God, and having been washed clean by the powerful cleansing of Baptism, come humbly, confidently, and regularly before your God and Savior.  Hear Him again and again tell of the sacrifice He made to give you peace.  Then by the power of His Holy Spirit in the Word and the healing food of the Lord’s Supper, Stay in the Light through faith in Christ.  Amen.

The Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.  Amen.

Repent! Jesus came looking for you.

 

Sermon for Trinity 10, August 9, 2026

Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Matthew 18:12-20  ¹²“What do you think?  If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go looking for the one that wandered away?  ¹³If he finds it—Amen I tell you—he rejoices more over that one sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not wander away.  ¹⁴In the same way, your Father in heaven does not want even one of these little ones to perish.  ¹⁵“If your brother sins against you, go and show him his sin just between the two of you.  If he listens to you, you have regained your brother.  ¹⁶But if he will not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’  ¹⁷If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church.  And, if he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as an unbeliever or a tax collector.  ¹⁸Amen I tell you: Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.  ¹⁹Amen I tell you again: If two of you on earth agree to ask for anything, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven.  ²⁰In fact where two or three have gathered together in my name, there I am among them.” (EHV)

Repent!  Jesus came looking for you.

Dear lambs of heaven’s flock,

            On our journey through the catechism, we have come to confession, and when we speak of confession, what we are really seeking is repentance.  Now, true repentance has two parts: first it consists of honestly confessing our sins, and in doing so the necessary second part is to trust in the forgiveness Jesus has won for you and for all on the cross.

Our sermon text comes as Jesus explains His concern for the “little ones” of faith.  Most often we associate “little ones” with children, but in the kingdom of heaven, it is safe to say that we are all children, and indeed, we are children of the heavenly Father, both, through creation and by the gift of faith through which He adopts us into His family.  On that basis, I can command and encourage you to Repent!  Jesus came looking for you.

Our text begins with a question for His disciples, “What do you think?  The question asks who did they think Jesus came to save?  The topic at hand was preservation of the faith of little children, and Jesus declared “Woe!” to anyone who might lead such a child of God astray.  Jesus wanted the crowd to understand His concern for all people.  There were many of His day, as there are in ours, who assumed children weren’t important enough to be a concern.  Consider the lack of love for children in our times that leads to the abortion of multitudes of babies, children abused by wicked individuals, and parents who don’t consider bringing children to Jesus through Baptism or instruction in the Word of God very important.  Woe to such ideas!

The fact of the matter is Jesus cares about the children, and that especially includes all those who have been made children of God by faith.  Jesus then tells a parable that clearly demonstrates His concern:

If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go looking for the one that wandered away?  If he finds it—Amen I tell you—he rejoices more over that one sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not wander away.  In the same way, your Father in heaven does not want even one of these little ones to perish. 

This was an obvious reference for the people that surrounded Jesus.  They were well familiar with shepherds and the value they placed on their flocks.  The history of Israel was filled with sheep and shepherds all the way back to Abraham.  Therefore, notice the details in this picture.  One hundred sheep.  The number one hundred could signify the whole flock regardless of the total number.  One strayed and was lost.  Again, the number one could be substituted for all of mankind.  This leaves the main point, Jesus left the flock of God in heaven to come to earth searching for those who had gone astray, which is the whole of mankind, including you and me and all the sceptics of His day.

Jesus was telling His hearers that He cares for every believer in His flock.  Now, I have heard some ask why a shepherd would leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness with all the dangers associated there?  Yet, Jesus says nothing that would indicate danger for the ninety-nine of His flock.  Thus, we could picture the ninety-nine as His flock already home in heaven.  Nothing could wrest them from the Father’s hand.  Therefore, Jesus, our Good Shepherd, came to earth to find strays like you and me.

Then, when we have been “found” by the proclamation of the Gospel and the washing miracle of Baptism, Jesus rejoices over every now saved soul, as does His Father and the whole host of heaven.  They all rejoiced when you were brought to believe in Jesus as your Savior.  The Father never tires of caring for you.  He never turns away from watching over you.  And should you or I go astray, God provides the people of His Church, His flock here on earth, to call you back into His care.

That brings us to the second part of this text, and the point of confession in the catechism.  Whenever the law of God convicts us of our sin, we are invited, encouraged, and even commanded to return to Jesus for forgiveness and life.  Apart from trusting in Jesus, there is only disaster and death.  St. Peter later wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “Therefore humble yourselves under God’s powerful hand so that he may lift you up at the appointed time.  Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.  Have sound judgment.  Be alert.  Your adversary, the Devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:6-8)

Now, you and I all know that our sinful nature doesn’t like to be confronted with the Law.  The mirror of the law makes us look ugly both to God and to ourselves.  That is the law’s intended purpose, to show us how badly our guilt corrupts the image of God in which we were created.  At the same time, Jesus says, “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his sin just between the two of you.  If he listens to you, you have regained your brother.” 

By calling us brothers, Jesus is showing that this teaching concerns believers.  Obviously, the world is completely corrupt, but the people of the world are not the focus in this text.  That doesn’t mean we should ignore them, just they are not the focus here.  There are plenty other places where Jesus tells us to make disciples for Him in this world, but here He is showing His concern for those He has already won into God’s favor.  He wants us all to remain in that love.

Therefore, when confronted with our sin, whether we identify it ourselves or someone else has to call our attention to it, the proper response is confession of our sins and true repentance which is turning back to Jesus and trusting His sacrifice for you.  Christ lived and died and rose again so that we are counted as holy ones before God.  Jesus wants to keep us there.  For this reason, we have confession in our worship services, so that we may confess every sin and fault, every shortcoming and failure that troubles us.  And after the confessing of our sins, we hear again and again the gracious forgiveness of our Savior who took away all our guilt and shame.

But, what about that sinning believer who refuses to listen to you.  Jesus lays out the path we are to follow to bring that lost lamb back into the flock on His behalf.  When we have gone to that wandering soul personally and privately, but without achieving repentance, then Jesus tells us, “But if he will not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’  If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church.  And, if he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as an unbeliever or a tax collector.” 

In our church practices, we often call this process Church discipline which in the case of one who refuses to repent leads to excommunication.  Sometimes, people think of excommunication as punishment, but it is never intended to punish the sinner.  It is not intended to indicate that any particular sin is worse than what any of us do on a daily basis.  Excommunication is the final step of calling the sinner to repentance.  If all else fails in trying to bring that lost lamb back into the fold, it ultimately leads to recognition that the unrepentant person has rejected Christ to follow the ways of the devil and this world.  It is a sad and serious thing which is why God never desires this for anyone.

Finally, we receive Jesus’ promise, “Amen I tell you: Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.  Amen I tell you again: If two of you on earth agree to ask for anything, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven.  In fact where two or three have gathered together in my name, there I am among them.”  By the grace of our loving God, He gives the Church the authority to forgive sins and to offer the comfort of God’s love to all who repent.  If two or three witnesses find the sinner repentant, Jesus stands with us in declaring that lamb found and forgiven.  At the same time, Jesus is also right there with us even when the unrepentant soul is declared lost. 

This is one more reason why attendance in God’s house of worship is so important.  Here, our Savior gathers with us through the power of His Word and Sacraments.  Here, He offers us His body and blood and with that precious food forgiveness and life in His heavenly home.  Here, He empowers our ability to repent of our sins and failures, and here, He declares us righteous before God through faith in His life, death, and resurrection.

Dear friends, through this parable, Jesus is calling for you to hear His voice calling out to you in the wilderness of this world, calling for you to return to Him daily in confession of your sins.  He is calling and inviting us to have the same concern for our fellow members of His kingdom.  We are not to be self-righteously accusing others as if we haven’t sinned.  Rather, Jesus invites us, who have been found and forgiven, to love our fellow believers even when we must call them back to the narrow way of faith in Jesus which leads to life in heaven. 

Every child of God is dear to Him.  How much did God care for you?  So much so that He sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to suffer the trials and pains of this corrupted life and then the shame and death our guilt deserved.  Through Jesus’ holy life and death on the cross, you and I were made righteous before God.  He now calls to us again and again, Repent!  For Jesus came looking for you.  Amen.

How blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, everyone who is walking in His ways.  Amen.